4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[TheChookKeeper]

Hello,

 

After my post a day or two ago:

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28446

 

I today noticed that only one of my new chickens had come out the house. I could still see the other one, she was asleep in the house, but was OK.

 

This afternoon, she still hadn't come out, so I thought I should check on her. Unfortunately, she had passed away.

 

I looked over her body, and there was no sign of damage at all - the remaining black rock is showing no signs of damage either, but does get attacked on occasion still.

She is being kept in the eglu cube run by the existing girls - but I figure this is OK?

 

Anyway - with no signs of damage at all, and as she was alive this morning, I am wondering if it is possible for a chicken to die of stress or similar?

I am at a loss, and feel awful.

 

Now though, I am worried that the one remaining black rock is going to end up with the same fate as the other one, from the existing 4 gingernuts.

 

 

A few questions:

 

1. How long (on average) does it take before a new bird is accepted into the pecking order? I realise mine have been at it less than a week, but I really want it to be over soon - for their sakes.

 

2. Is it normal, in these pecking order disputes, that the new girls get picked on, and don't fight back? Neither of the black rocks have ever showed any sogn of fighting back at all. They just lay down or run away when being attacked.

 

3. Should I be forcing them to sleep together at night? If I leave them to it, the black rock usually goes up into the eglu, and the gingernuts sleep on the ladder, and on the floor.

 

4. Should I leave them to free range as much as possible, or is it better to keep them shut up in the eglu cube run during the day?

 

 

So many questions - sorry. I am just desperate to make sure this can't happen again.

[SAB]

So sorry for your loss. I am unable to answer your questions re pecking order etc, but will be interested in answers as I am currently integrating hens.

[NClaire]

Oh I'm sorry. Did you notice any symptoms at all? What were her poos like? Was she eating and drinking?

 

I think that stress can cause them problems, in that it can cause any bugs in their system to rear up - I lost a chicken shortly after I got it a year ago, largely I think due to stress.

 

Is it possible that she wasn't able to get to the food/water and got dehydrated?

[Egluntyne]

Sorry to hear your news.

 

She may have been so subservient because she was already ill. They are quite good at hiding the fact that they are ill (especially from us). The other hens will sense it though and may single the poorly one out.

 

Some info on managing intros **here**

[TheChookKeeper]

Hello,

 

Thank you for your kind words. Looks like I cocked all this up good and proper.

 

As for eating and drinking, I am pretty sure they were both doing both well - as I say, they were "confined" by the existing gingernuts in the eglu run, with them ranging outside. This meant that the NEW ones had the food and water, and it was the existing girls I had to provide some food and water bowls for.

 

My remaining black rock is certainly eating and drinking - but is still pecked at by about 2 of the existing 4 chooks.

 

Is it normal that she isn't defending herself? She just runs away?

 

At this late stage, is is a good idea to try and seperate them so the rocks stays in the eglu run (with door shut), and the gingernuts stay outside? Or am I past that?

[Abbey Road Girl]

Please don't blame yourself, Steve. I'm sure that you did the best that you could. As the others have said, a poorly chicken doesn't signal that it's all that poorly but the other hens can pick up on what we cannot.

 

So sorry for you!

[NClaire]

No, I'm sure it wasn't your fault - if they were eating and drinking and not being pecked too viciously, then you couldn't have predicted this. Chickens don't do 'feeling quite ill' - they're either fine or dying! In that, they hide when they are feeling under the weather, I believe so the other birds don't sense it and pick on them, and also I have experience the other way round - Dopey (who has always been a bit flakey tbh) spent a good 3-4 days believing she was dying. She perked up with some cat food, and is fine now (although she is now bald, but that is another story...).

 

If you want to increase your remaining black rock's immunity, I was recommended to use beef in jelly cat food, (or tuna is fine), some hardboiled egg and some poultry spice. If you can give it to her while the others are out freeranging, it can help build up her immune system. Worked a treat with mine (it was recommended by Jude at Cotswold Chickens who is a lovely lady and seems really knowledgeable).

 

I think you'll just have to keep an eye on things - if she's doing ok with the other hens then you might be better leaving her with them, and she will gradually gain confidence. Or you could shut her in the run for a bit to give her time to gain confidence.

 

My new chickens still run away from Dopey - they are still not in the run together, it is divided in half, I'm going to give them a few more days so they'll have had a week in a divided run, and then when I'm at home all day let them in together. The new ones have already gained so much confidence, and they will be that much older (Dopey is 1 year). I think mixed ages are quite hard to integrate tbh.

[Helen&Lee]

Sorry to hear your news

 

I can only offer advice on how mine have been getting on - I don't know whether it helps or not...

 

My two new ones have been in for about 3 weeks now, they do get chased away every now and again - but they are all in a large run so there is plenty of room and I have three food & drink stations spread about.

 

One of the new ones is alot more confident than the other and really puts herself in amongst the others, while the other keeps her distance. They do act a little submissive but they are not getting attacked or having feathers pulled out.

 

My current broody, Doris gets a much worse time when I put her in the run, they really attack her - I put bumper bars on the two perpetrators yesterday

 

If it was me - I think as long as she's not being chased every 10 mins and not being harmed I would stick with it, buts thats probably because in my position I can see Doris getting much worse of a time at the moment.

 

Thinking of you,

[Tina C]

Sorry to hear about your poor chook.

 

The other one should be OK. Some hens are happy to be at the bottom of the pecking order and will act submissive so they get left alone. I should think that would make the settling in process quicker - two of my ex-batts fought for a week for top chook position, but the third was more or less ignored because she was so 'its OK I don't want to fight - I will just crouch down while you jump on me - then can I go and peck around please'